Central State University: merit scholarships by GPA
Central State University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid keyed to GPA — the ACT is not used. Awards start at a 2.7 GPA and reach $4,000 a year. Because the bands are steps rather than a slope, a hundredth of a GPA point is worth nothing inside a band and the whole step at the edge of one.
Enter a GPA below to see which band it actually lands in, what that band pays, and what the next band needs.
Read this first
Central State publishes no cycle year for these figures and does not state whether they are annual. The Honors College awards shown alongside them are larger but are not automatic — they need Honors admission, a FAFSA by December 1 and an application by January 15.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — a 3.60 GPA
Freshman Scholarship
$3,000 / year
About $12,000 over four years, if it renews.
Central State awards this on GPA alone, so an ACT score does not change it. A higher score can still matter for admission, for honours programmes, and at other schools on the list — but not for this award.
The ACT doesn't move the money here — but it still decides admission, honours eligibility, and what they is worth at the other schools on the list, where most awards are score-keyed.
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The published Central State merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Central State University’s own pages for the current cycle. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Freshman Scholarship
Students are considered on admission to the university, with no separate application.
$4,000
Freshman Scholarship
No score needed
$3,000
Freshman Scholarship
No score needed
$2,000
Freshman Scholarship
No score needed
$1,000
Freshman Scholarship
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Freshman Scholarship | — | $4,000 |
| Freshman Scholarship | — | $3,000 |
| Freshman Scholarship | — | $2,000 |
| Freshman Scholarship | — | $1,000 |
Source: Scholarship Central · verified 2026-10-24
Does Central State superscore for scholarships?
Not stated, and it would not matter. The automatic grid uses no test score at all.
With nothing published, plan for the stricter reading: look up your best single sitting in the grid above, work out your superscore as well, and ask Central State’s financial aid office which one they read before you count on the higher band.
Comparing schools? See which colleges superscore for scholarships — 66 of 501 commit to it, 52 say they do not, and the rest never say.
Central State scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Honors College awards — FAFSA deadline (not required for the automatic grid) | December 1 |
Scores take roughly two to four weeks to arrive, and official reports sent to schools can take longer, so the last useful test date is several weeks before the printed deadline. Check which test dates still make it.
Where these numbers came from
Every figure on this page was read from Central State University’s own published pages, linked below with the date we last confirmed them. We do not estimate a missing band or interpolate a value.
- The grid pays from a 2.70 GPA, which is lower than most grids in this dataset.
- The Honors College pays $3,500 at a 3.5–3.69 and $4,500 at a 3.7–4.0 — more than the general grid at the same GPA — but it needs Honors admission, a FAFSA by December 1 and an application by January 15, so it is not automatic.
- Presidential and Trustee awards are competitive and need applications.
- Central State publishes no cycle year for these figures and does not state whether they are annual.
- The page's statement that the SAT and ACT are waived 'this year due to COVID' is clearly stale.
- No renewal condition is published for the automatic Freshman Scholarship.
Check before you rely on it. Grids change by entry year and schools update them without notice. This page is a reproduction with a date on it, not a guarantee, and it is not financial aid advice. ClutchACT is not affiliated with Central State University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Central State?
Central State University publishes a merit aid grid keyed to ACT score and GPA. See the tables on this page for the current bands.
Is Central State test-optional?
Central State's Honors page still says the SAT and ACT are waived 'this year due to COVID', which is stale enough that nothing is claimed from it here. For merit aid the answer is different: the Freshman Scholarship grid is keyed to the high school GPA alone and names no test score at any rung. Being admitted without a score and qualifying for money without a score are two separate questions.
How much is a 30 on the ACT worth at Central State?
On Central State's published grid for the current cycle, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Freshman Scholarship at $3,000 a year, about $12,000 over four years if it renews.
Does Central State superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated, and it would not matter. The automatic grid uses no test score at all.
When are Central State scholarship deadlines?
Honors College awards — FAFSA deadline (not required for the automatic grid): December 1. The application and the official score report are both due by that date, and ACT scores take roughly two to four weeks to arrive — so the last useful test date is several weeks earlier than the deadline suggests.
Is this Central State scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Central State University's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-24. The sources are linked at the bottom of the page with that date. Grids change by entry year, so check the source before relying on a figure for a decision.
Other schools to check
What to do next
Central State awards on GPA — but the ACT still decides what you're worth elsewhere.
Most schools in this comparison are score-keyed even though Central State is not, so the same test still moves the money everywhere else on the list.
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